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Recovery Club

The magic of tidying

The magic of tidying

Decluttering and minimising. Taking control of house and garden, nurturing body and soul. I've read Marie Kondo and read a little on a related Swedish method and feel inspired. I've been a borderline hoarder and lived with depression for too long and want to take the initiative. Has anyone done this? Or is there anyone who'd like to try with me?

I've sorted my books and uni notes. I've decided to sell some furniture when lockdown lifts. But the other papers and STUFF in the house and the jungle outside have me beaten atm. Some mutual encouragement and support is the only thing that's going to get me through. I know I'll have to face some decisions like "will I ever use that fabric stash" or "how many books in the TBR ,pile is too many" or "where do I start in the kitchen". Boxing isn't the answer, it was a temporary reprieve.

It's going to be a contest between my commitment to getting sorted and the looming possibility of having to move and downsize for my health. Having control of my space will be a win in either the old space or a new one.

Setting goals. Celebrating achievements. Sharing life hacks. Is anyone on board?

Dimity.

2239 replies

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In response to: The magic of tidying

Re: The magic of tidying

Well done, @Dimity !

Err...what is a pomodoro?

In response to: Re: The magic of tidying

Re: The magic of tidying

@NatureLover

A pomodoro is just a period of time dedicated to something. For @Dimity it’s 25minutes. I think it comes up if you google it

I googled it for you! Here is the info

A pomodoro is a 25-minute interval of focused work in the Pomodoro Technique, a time management method that breaks work into focused intervals separated by short breaks. The word "pomodoro" is Italian for "tomato", and the technique gets its name from the tomato-shaped kitchen timer the creator used to organize his work.

In response to: Re: The magic of tidying

Re: The magic of tidying

Thanks @Oaktree. I came across the pomodoro technique for writing when I was studying. 25 mins work then 5 min break.

When I'm cruising I can work for an hour or more but if it's harder 25 minutes then the break suits.

Other takes if it's worse are 5X5 (tidy in 5 places for 5 minutes each) or just dealing with 8 items. All just mind-games really.

I'd been struggling again for a while but am getting back to chipping away each day.

Hope your cleaner and your stack of cards are helping and making a difference. I'm not seeing much progress but console myself it's incremental and possibly steadily improving.

@NatureLover hope you're going well too.

In response to: Re: The magic of tidying

Re: The magic of tidying

Thanks, @Oaktree , that's interesting. 🙂

In response to: Re: The magic of tidying

Re: The magic of tidying

Thanks, @Dimity . My house has got out of control again.

Is the pomodoro always 25 minutes? 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off works better for me.

In response to: Re: The magic of tidying

Re: The magic of tidying

I guess you need to find your own rhythm @NatureLover . I think you've mentioned sometimes you like to blitz cleaning/tidying in a big effort... depending on how you feel.

Let's celebrate any sort of success.

10+10? Whatever works...

In response to: Re: The magic of tidying

Re: The magic of tidying

Yes...I'm hoping that a blitz cleaning and tidying mode comes upon me again soon! @Dimity

The thing about only 10 minutes is it's short enough not to be too threatening, plus short enough to make to want to do more, but you have to stop. This increases motivation.

In fact, I think I'll do 10 minutes now...

Good luck today with your tidying / chores / paperwork sorting...

In response to: Re: The magic of tidying

Re: The magic of tidying

@Abner

Have you seen this thread? You might feel at home here with us.

@NatureLover @Dimity @TAB @Glisten @Complex123

I am about to get off the couch and put my folded t-shirts away in a drawer. They have been sitting on the table for the past 12 days. Not that I am counting or anything.

In response to: Re: The magic of tidying

Re: The magic of tidying

@Oaktree How many t-shirts do you have?

In 12 days, I would have worn all my t-shirts, washed them and worn them again.

In response to: Re: The magic of tidying

Re: The magic of tidying

Not sure how many t-shirts and tops is too many @Glisten @Oaktree but I can't bring myself to toss them.

Hope your 10 minute stints are working @NatureLover . I'm now trying for an hour or 25 minutes. I'm happy if I can do 2 or 3 a day as it's hard to do more. Still trying to get back on track and build up to a solid day's work.

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